Children's learning is daily, it is based on the imitation of the gestures that they observe around them, on play, but above all, on the sensations that each of their senses offers them. The senses, allow children to know their environment and get acquainted with the world. As they grow, perception through the senses progresses and thus, the little ones adapt to the environment.
This is the first and most important method of learning for children, for this reason, encouraging and promoting sensory stimulation is key to cognitive and perceptual development of the little ones. Through different games and activities adapted to their age, you can stimulate your children's senses. Below you will find some ideas to work this area with your children from home.
Benefits of sensory play
Through games and activities to develop the senses, other skills are also developed in the child as:
- Coordination in their movements and through different senses
- The imagination
- The memory
- The language
- O concentration among others
Games to stimulate the ear
From the womb, the baby can distinguish sounds, even recognizing the mother's voice. For very young babies, just record different sounds as your own babbling or the voice of the closest family members. From the age of two, you will be able to carry out more complete activities to stimulate and work on your child's hearing capacity.
Where is the telephone?
In a room where there are quite a few items, such as sofas, furniture, and other objects, hide a mobile phone. Must be in a place easily accessible for the little one, but not in a very accessible place. The child has to be out of the room so as not to see where you hide the phone, once prepared, the little one will have to enter the room.
Once inside, wait a minute or two and make a call to the mobile phone. If possible, use some melody that is increasing in sound, the child will have to find the phone through the sound it emits. As the child grows, you can add difficulty to the game by adding other sounds in the room, such as a radio, a television, or a sound toy.
Games to stimulate touch
Touch is one of the most developed senses in the baby as soon as it is born, in fact, for very young babies it is the most important sense. For small babies you can use the moment of the bath and let him touch the sponge, with the bubbles of the bath or with clothes of different textures.
The treasure drawer
Use a large cardboard box, you must put inside different objects that the child already knows. A toy, a wooden spoon, a toothbrush, chestnuts, tangerines etc. will serve for the activity. The game consists in that the child will have to put his hand in the box, and through touch find out what object it is. With this game you will also be working on memory and developing reasoning.
Games to stimulate the eyes
To stimulate very young babies, you can use a mirror where you both reflect. Make different faces, or move the mirror closer and further so that the baby can see how the size of his image changes. Other simple activities to stimulate your eyes:
- Search the rainbow with a water hose and the sun in the street
- Games with water dyed with food coloring
- With finger painting
- With sensory bottles
Games to stimulate smell
The sense of smell is closely linked to emotions, it is one of the most developed senses in the baby from birth. You can play different games using smells of everyday objects like your own cologne or deodorant. When the child is older, you can cover his eyes with a soft bandage and bring different elements, aromatic herbs, fruits or things that he can recognize to his nose.
Games to stimulate the sense of taste
Use different bowls where you should put food of different flavors, something acidic, something sweet, something salty and whatever you have at home that can be used. First the child will be able to see everything in the different containers and later, you will put a blindfold that covers their eyes. Offer small scoops from each bowl and the child will have to guess what it is.